What a difference a day makes.
TWINS
1. Denard Span, CF
2. Matt Tolbert, SS
3. Justin Morneau, 1B
4. Jason Kubel, RF
5. Michael Cuddyer, DH
6. Rene Tosoni, LF
7. Danny Valencia, 3B
8. Drew Butera, C
9. Alexi Casilla, 2B
Pitcher: Blackburn
WHITE SUX
1. Juan Pierre, LF
2. Alexei Ramirez, SS
3. Adam Dunn, DH
4. Paul Konerko, 1B
5. Carlos Quentin, RF
6. A.J. Pierzynski, C
7. Alex Rios, CF
8. Mark Teahen, 3B
9. Omar Vizquel, 2B
Pitcher: Danks
Go Twins!
I feel a good outing for Blackie is a-coming up today.
Now if Blackie were to pitch a no-hitter today, that would be surprising (as opposed to last night's since I feel pretty safe we all expected that one).
I did predict a miracle game last night at the beginning of the evening, so it was expected...
This somehow reminds me of Glen Somnor's quote after the Great One made some fantastic play: "It's the most unheard of thing I ever heard of!"
1st inning runs!
With a sac bunt that actually helped. Huh.
Also, it's been said pretty much all season, but it needs to be said again. The Dude is raking.
Didn't take them long tonight.
Darn, there goes the back-to-back no hitters.
I'm happy with BTB shutouts.
Let's just start with back-to-back wins and go from there.
Done.
Danny with the extra base. Lesson learned?
Guys, we're on the verge of a multiple run game.
Don't jinx it.
I'm going to look back on this comment and shudder, I think.
Or not.
That means either Butters or Laddie would have had to do something besides pop out...
We've already used our magic in Chicago...
Gameday was stuck on 'injury delay' for several minutes. Anybody listening that can fill me in?
Konerko fouled a ball off his foot.
Ah, okay. I was thinking Blackburn took another line drive to the face.
After that great game last night, I'm hoping we could, maybe, even double our runs today!
Do they all have to be scored by the Twins?
There's the ballgame.
Man I hate walks.
That's a log of walks the Twins have gotten away with without any damage the past two games.
Is the world coming to an end?
Only if Casilla also gets a hit.
Ok things are back to normal, Laddie gets picked off.
I don't think he much cares for the life of an MLB'er, or something. Sure seems intent on making it so he no longer is one.
some guys just like to carry their own bags and sleep at the Motel 6.
If a Casilla gets a hit, and then is immediately picked off, is the world saved?
I'm not sure if that would have been enough. However, fortunately for us all, he took it one step further and reached on a fielder's choice, thus eliminating the increase in batting average.
Still have to account for the Butera hit.
Casilla's sheer inability to play at a major league level this season would be funny if he didn't play on our team.
Not nearly as funny as the fact that I have now heard 4 different times this year Dick begging for a stolen base only to have the runner picked off.
<Dicknbert>How many times do you see that, where a guy gets picked off, and then he doesn't end up scoring at all that inning.</Dicknbert>
White Sox baseball!
Iceman comes through in the clutch!
[Picture of a dudebro chugging a Smirnoff Ice]
Rene: Walk Cuddy to get me...I'll show ya!
Most people would say Danks has "some of the nastiest stuff in baseball?" Dick, you can say he's good without exaggerating.
[jpg of weed]
I don't think he has any pitches that stand out in the league. He's certainly good, but I don't know about "nastiest stuff in baseball".
Oh, Lord, that was a stupid move.
seriously? I mean, Span, seriously??
You think it's Span's idea? It was a double steal.
that's even worse. With two outs and Morneau at the plate? Doesn't he have to, you know, get a hit anyway to score the runner?
I'm watching (intermittently) on Gameday, so I'm missing some context. Not much, though, seeing as how my alternative is Dazzle.
Yeah, Coomer wanted Gardy to sit down and have a talk with Span, but a double steal doesn't come from the players.
Curious move there.
I can't figure out what the thinking was. The only minor benefit is to make it possible to get a sac fly, which of course, wasn't a possibility.
Hit to the outfield by Mountie scores 2 instead of 1 & now he leads off the next inning followed by the Dude?
D*mn. Refresh, refresh, refresh.
when in doubt, hit the batter. especially vs. Chicago
when still in doubt, hit another batter. especially vs. Chicago
And hit'em again.
x2!
So nice to be home with baseball. I passed a military funeral on the way home from work, and I'm pretty sure the Westboro Baptists were there. I feel personally offended that they're in my hometown.
They threatened to come to Winnipeg for a funeral a couple of years ago, and J & I went down there to help create a human wall. They never showed up, but I still felt good about doing our part to keep them away.
The bikers were there to form the wall. I would've joined them if I hadn't been picking up Skim from school.
Those morons give Baptists (and all Christians, for that matter) a bad name. Borderline forbidden, but I don't think calling them morons is debatable.
I don't think it's debatable either. We're not talking about a religion here, we're talking about an act. No matter what type of group these people were, I'd find their actions disgusting and reprehensible.
Well I believe the Southern Poverty Law Center classifies them as a hate group, so there's that.
Mmm, Neck Fat. I'm sure we're all excited.
Savvy move to hit Lillebridge to get to Vizquel, or savviest move?
If that hadn't hooked foul, it would've been the worst move. I don't think I could take a 73-year-old Vizquel hitting a three-run homer...
Twins day game & ManU-Schalke Champions League at the same time. Guess who planned all his "at desk" work for this afternoon?
m- *this guy* -m
Not much of a game at Old Trafford though. It's a wonder that Schalke got this far.
Agree. Should be a fun final on the 28th however. Barca v. Man U.
Oh, for stupid...
More clutch base running by the Twins.
What. In. The. Hell.
Perkins...Butters...grrr.
how did one of those pitches at neck-height turn into a passed ball?
It hit Butters square in the middle of the glove.
Whoa. Capps in with five outs to go? I approve.
For some reason Gardy seems more willing to let Capps pitch more than 3 outs than he ever was with Nathan. Not sure why.
Fewer attractive alternatives behind Capps, maybe?
5 8th-inning appearances in 2009, 5 in 2008, 4 in 2007....
Let's just hope that it ends up as a five-out save...
Just got back from trial and turned on Gameday. Barn burner.
Time for some Geico.
We need a Crain Wreck!
That would only confuse Gardy. The Save is already in play for Capps!
Can we have a Crain Wreck in our favor this time, perhaps?
Let's see if he's a double agent.
I came here now to get in on the Crain Wreck.
I remember those Crain Wreck walks.
Even if Crain grooves one, can Butters hit it out of the infield?
He just hit two over the fence, what do you want?
Valencia with a team leading 12 walks. Not someone I expected to be this patient at the plate.
At least Butters got it out of the infield. Baby steps.
I have got to get better with my placement.
apparently you are not paying attention to who "hits" behind him in the order.
Wow, some annoying drunks at the ballpark today. I assume that's a daily thing, but wow, we can hear them well.
In She-cago? No. Way.
The south side, even! I know, right?
I was hearing them yesterday as well- they are quite excited to be at the park, evidently.
They must be in the Ligue Family Section.
The obnoxiousness of the drunks at New Comiskey is inversely proportional to the cost of the seat in which they are sitting. I've sat been there plenty - from bleachers to nosebleeds to 3rd base boxes. The closer you are too the field and/or plate, the more tolerable Sox fans get. I actually have met some very nice folks there, and some drunken boors.
weren't the Ligue's near the field on the 1b side?
I've found that to be true almost everywhere. The one exception: I've been to exactly one NFL game and I had incredible seats, but I can't imagine anyone, anywhere being more intoxicated than the guy to my left. Nice guy, though. He was one of those maudlin drunks...he started telling me I was a great friend and he bought me three beers.
Funny, but I've been to NFL games in
threefour different cities (Redskins game vs. Cowboys for a monday nighter in DC in 1987, Chargers once or twice in Jack Murphy, Bears in Soldier Field, 49ers in Candlestick) and actually never run across any obnoxious drunks (that I can recall).I think he was so tolerable in part because he had no rooting interest. It was a Vikings-Lions game, but he was a Bengals fan in town to visit a friend.
I was at a Vikes/Raiders game in the Colosseum back in the middle 80's, and the fights in the stands were more entertaining than the game was.
Minneapolis -- Yep, they are there.
Buffalo -- There, too.
Oh, yeah.
As common as the garbage swirling about the field.
Seriously, what's the point of Steve Holm being on the bench if you can't pinch hit for Butters?
According to Gameday, when Crain misses the zone he really misses the zone.
He's all over the place today, for sure.
It certainly took Crain a long time to not wreck.
The way he was pitching, if he'd had stiffer competition, we may have seen a wreck.
Capps, it's Rios, hit him!
Hit Lillibridge? *in best Mr. Burns voice* "Exxxcellent!"
Capps, it's Lillibridge, hit him too.
Oh, for the love. Three hit batsmen in three(?) innings?
sets up the triple play.
Just in case the four out play is in effect.
Right. Nothing like a little overkill.
When does the multiball activate?
Nice job getting hit while starting your swinging motion Lillibridge.
That evidently is not the actual rule.
C(r)apps isn't hitting his spots but his fastball has some crazy movement to it today.
Lillibridge must be in the Quentin School of OBP.
C'mon Capps...
Juan Pierre's strikezone disappears when you look at it from an angle.
Puppies!
Sweep!
Puppies! Fireworks! Winning Streak!!!!!!1!1!!
Whew. Thank goodness.
It wasn't a no-hitter but I'll take it!
Nice. Four runs on the series, and it's good enough for a sweep.
w00t. Sweep? Is this a two-game set?
It is. Sweep!!11!111!
2011 Twins: Not as bad as the 2011 White Sox.
2011 Twins AAA-players: Also not as bad as the 2011 White Sox
Smells like....
Dazzle just interviewed Kubel - loquacious* is not a word I thought I'd ever use to describe the Dude, but there it is.
*too much?
I heard him interviewed yesterday, too. He needs a pinch speaker.
mebbe the Twins could trade for Hinske???
Ooops. My bad.
Anyone else catch that one day after Liriano got the "what's wrong with..." treatment at fangraphs, he threw a no-hitter with the lone run coming from a Kubel dinger?
so, message received?
can Fangraphs bitch about Tolbot, Butters and Casilla now?
They bitched about Dunn yesterday, too, so it does not seem to have 100% effectiveness.
And in bS's defense, I believe I saw a certain local writer's picture over at Fangraphs making the Hinske joke. Unless I am mistaken, of course.
Not a single Hinske/Kubel mention in Cameron's piece on the no-hitter OR the comments. Boo.
Just another sweep in Chicago.
Looking at the White Sox side: they just got swept at home by the Twins who were playing without Mauer, Thome, Young, Nishioka and Slowey and the two starters had ERAs over 5.00 and were especially bad in their last several starts.
I have to admit, I'm not feeling any sympathy for them.
I feel bad for the White Sox because they are so obviously better than the Twins and yet they keep losing to them.
And now everybody else, for that matter.